Issue with Pixelated Linked Files in Affinity Photo 2.5.3 on macOS After Update

[Simone Pizzinga]

Hi everyone,

After the latest update, I believe linked files in Affinity Photo 2.5.3 on macOS are struggling to connect properly.

When I insert an image as linked, some images or elements appear pixelated upon opening the file. Sometimes zooming in with command+ resolves the issue, but for some elements, I have to manually move them a click or re-link them one by one to restore their quality. This is very tedious on complex projects with many elements.

I have attached two images showing the before and after. The elements to observe are the two bands in the footer, one white and one orange.

Thank you in advance for your help!

[walt.farrell]

What release of macOS do you run?

Is there anything consistent about where the Linked images are stored? I see that the one shown in your last screenshot is in your Documents folder, which may (and is by default) managed by iCloud, and may have been migrated off your physical disk by iCloud. In that case, it would need to be recalled from the Cloud before it could be shown properly.

[Simone Pizzinga]

Hi @walt.farrell
 

I am using the latest version of macOS 14.6, and the programs are installed on my Mac Studio 22, with an M1 Max chip and 32 GB of RAM.

All images are organized in a folder I create for the specific job located in Documents, and I don’t use the Cloud.

The images are actually linked correctly. Sometimes just zooming in restores their quality, other times moving the image 1mm with the keyboard arrows restores the correct quality. Initially, I thought it was just a display issue, but when exporting the file, the images appear pixelated.

Therefore, every time I open the file, I have to check the entire file and apply the solutions mentioned above or re-link the images.

This significantly slows down my workflow, so I was wondering if there is a way to resolve this problem.

I have been an Affinity user since version 1, and this issue has never occurred in the past. It has only been happening for a few months, so I suspect it is due to the update to version 2.5.3.

Thank you in advance for your kind response.

[DWright]

In the Performance section of the Affinity Photo settings which View Quality and Retina Rendering settings are you using 

[Simone Pizzinga]

HI @DWright

I am using the recommended settings from the program: bilinear display quality and automatic retina rendering. These settings have been in place since before the issue appeared.

If it were merely a display issue, the exported files wouldn’t appear pixelated in the elements that struggle to link properly.

Thank you in advance for your kind response.